


talking to the devil over your shoulder

by violetmessages



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Episode: s02e13 Exit Wounds, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28434783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetmessages/pseuds/violetmessages
Summary: In which Jack overhears a conversation he isn't sure he wants to hear.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, John Hart & Ianto Jones, one sided john hart/jack harkness
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	talking to the devil over your shoulder

Jack walked behind Ianto slowly as he entered the pub. He had been secretly hiding, following Ianto in hopes of surprising him at home, because he knew that Ianto hadn’t been having the easiest time lately. To be fair, none of them were. 

He knew that Ianto wasn’t the sort to spend a lot of time in pubs anymore, and he was curious why Ianto had decided to enter this one. Jack watched as he made his way deeper inside, until he reached a table bearing a very familiar face. 

“What are you doing on this planet?” Ianto asked between gritted teeth. “I tracked your wriststrap here. I thought Jack told you to leave and never come back.”

Jack looked on in alarm, keeping a hand steady on his gun, as he watched from close by. Why the hell had Ianto not told him about this?

John rolled his eyes, raising his glass to his lips to drain the amber colored liquid inside of it, before reaching out for the bottle in the middle of the table. He raised the bottle in front of Ianto in a mock toast, smiling widely. 

“Eye-candy!” he exclaimed, uncapping the bottle and pouring himself another glass, filling it past where Jack would have normally stopped. “How’s the team?”

“If you don’t leave this planet in the next-”

“-What, you’re going to sic Jack on me? Please?” John cut him off, rolling his eyes again. “Sit down, have a drink with me. I’m not going to do anything tonight. In fact, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Ianto looked around rapidly, then took a careful seat beside him, keeping his eyes trained on John. “What are you doing here?” he asked. 

“I’m breeding piranhas,” he said, sardonically. “What the fuck do you think I’m doing? I’m just having a drink!”

“The last time you were here, you bombed the city,” Ianto said angrily. He glared at John’s dismissive wave. 

“Under duress,” John clarified. “Besides, even that didn’t get your  _ dashing  _ leader’s attention either.”

“Tosh and Owen are dead because of your ploys for attention,” Ianto growled. “What the fuck does that say about you - that you’d murder our friends, then expect to be friends with Jack again!”

“More like what does that say about Jack?” John snapped back, draining another glass. “After everything we’ve been through, he picks you - an insignificant little boy from the armpit of the universe.”

“What?” Ianto asked, looking confused. John laughed in response, high and reedy. 

“Well, let’s be honest here,” he said, looking deep into Ianto’s eyes. “I’m much better than you in every sense of the word. I’m smarter, stronger, tougher, better in bed, and I can do this thing with my tongue that just-”

“-Enough!” Ianto declared. John rolled his eyes. 

“Anyway, point being, I’m clearly much better than you. And he still picked you. Didn’t even give me a second look,” John said, raising his eyebrows. Ianto scowled, looking back in disbelief. 

“Did you know, Jack’s the only person I’ve ever loved in any meaningful way,” John continued. “After everything, after all our history, he picks you. What does that say about him? And what does that say about you?”

“I don’t - why are you telling me this?” Ianto asked, clearly stunned. John shakes his head, picking up the bottle from off the table and standing up. 

“I don’t know,” John answered, and Jack can tell that he’s being honest. “Because I can? Because one day, you’ll die, and leave him broken. And maybe then I’ll have another chance?”

Ianto didn’t respond, simply looking up into John’s eyes. John laughed, eyes crinkling, and Jack realized he hadn’t heard his real laugh in so long. 

“Or maybe because I know, deep down, that I’ll take any table scraps he offers me. And I think that you will too,” John said. He winked at Ianto. 

“John-” Ianto started, only to be cut off by John, who placed his hand on Ianto’s shoulder, patting it a few times. 

“Goodbye, Eye-candy. May we never meet again,” said John, and he walked away, clutching the bottle in his hands. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos/Comments are appreciated!
> 
> Find me on tumblr [here](https://violetmessages.tumblr.com/)


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